The spreading panic of incarceration

What the extended lockdown has brought into harsh view are the precarious levels of urban existence

Here’s a small anecdote from this week that sums up the rising panic at two ends of the social spectrum. A friend’s daughter, a banking professional, began to worry a few days into the lockdown that her car’s battery may be run down and decided to take it for a short drive in her neighbourhood. Like most parts of metropolitan India, even well-heeled, gated areas (termed “posh localities” by real estate agents) are serviced by slums in the vicinity, teeming with skilled and unskilled labour comprising domestic workers, tradespeople, street vendors, rag pickers, and criminal elements. 

No sooner had the young